


Not the Shining Stars

by fetchmeagiraffe



Series: the sound of miles passed beneath your feet [2]
Category: A Softer World, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Collection: Purimgifts Day 2, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-03
Updated: 2012-03-03
Packaged: 2017-11-01 01:27:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/350464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fetchmeagiraffe/pseuds/fetchmeagiraffe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Finding each other and forging ahead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not the Shining Stars

**Author's Note:**

  * For [brightthunder](https://archiveofourown.org/users/brightthunder/gifts).



-

_2011_

It took five weeks for Mickey to suggest bringing in a third person to do research and coordinate jobs. (This followed the incident where Martha showed up at an abandoned car park looking for an autopsy while Mickey was at hospital searching for an anonymous informant.) They proceeded to scar for life three university students, seven temp placements, and two craigslist respondents. Gwen pointed out that perhaps the sort of person they were searching for was not actually a dime a dozen, and wasn’t there anyone they’d met with the Doctor who could maybe help them out?

“I don’t know what kind of scam you’re pulling here, but this does not look like any sort of travel agency I’ve ever seen,” Donna said. She was rotating in the center of the small office, looking like every dirty detail personally offended her. Mickey and Martha exchanged glances – there’d been rumours, of course, about how completely off the grid Donna Noble had dropped since the Earth had returned from the Medusa Cascade. But she hadn’t recognized either one of them.

“We worked together a few times, last year,” said Martha, desperate and confused. “I was still just Dr Jones then, you complimented me on my engagement ring.”

“I’m a temp, I compliment lots of people. And I know I’ve never worked here before, I’d remember a wreck like this.” Donna headed for the door, already pulling out her mobile. “Sorry, you must of got the wrong ginger. Nice to meet you.”

And she was gone.

-

“There’s rift activity somehow appearing in Wembley, radios going berserk in Dulwich, and gravestones moving in Chiswick Cemetery. Torchwood’s sending people to Wembley, but we need your help covering the other two.” Gwen had a way of sounding even more Welsh on the road. Martha thought it might come from bottling up all the curses she wasn’t yelling at the other drivers. “I know you don’t like to split up, but the radios could be almost anything and gravestones are going to freak out the locals. Do us a solid, yeah?”

Martha glanced at Mickey, who’d already thrown his gear in a pack. “We’ll figure it out.” Gwen hung up without responding.

“Which do you want?” Martha asked.

“You’re joking, right?” Mickey zipped in a tangle of wires and threw a grin over his shoulder. “Dead bodies are always your division, love. Be safe!”

“Love you,” Martha said. Chiswick – what was important in Chiswick? “Don’t let the spooky radio waves kill you.”

-

Of course - Donna Noble was the best temp in Chiswick, as evidenced by her appearance in the cemetery with the business end of a paper cutter, which she used to great effect against the zombies currently erupting from the ground.

“Travel agency that specializes in tours of the undead?” Donna yelled over when she recognized Martha.

“Travel agency that specializes in adventures, and only sending the agents out to travel,” Martha responded. “What’re you doing here?”

Donna just grinned.

-

When they made their move, Mickey sent the opening salvo. “In a span of six months we’ve run into you 18 times in the field, and CCTV shows that you’ve developed a fondness for the coffee shop across the way.”

“You’re clever and not afraid to get a bit dirty. More importantly, you haven’t run screaming at any of the weird shit we’ve seen.” Martha added. “We get along with you, and we need another person, and I think you need someone to watch your back.”

“We can’t pay much, but–“

“Okay, stop, this is embarrassing,” Donna said. “I came here to offer to sponsor you.”

They didn’t know how to respond to that.

“I got a winning lottery ticket for a wedding gift, and I’m quite well off now. But it was boring pretending to be one of those swank folks, and it was boring doing temp work, and I kept getting this feeling like the universe wanted me to do more.” Donna pulled out a folded slip of paper and handed it over. “My divorce went through last week. That’s how much I bring to this, and I’ll get this mess of an office sorted as well. I’ve got just one stipulation.”

The sum on that paper was beyond even the budgets Martha’d had as project leader in UNIT, and she would have agreed to almost anything. Mickey was more cautious.“Right, a catch. Hit us with the bad news then.”

“Listen, I am being quite generous with my many millions of pounds! The ONE request I make is that my name be in the company. That’s it! I don’t even care what part, just stick it in somewhere,” Donna said, losing her composure and gesticulating wildly.

“That’s what she said,” Mickey muttered.

“Oi!” He found a finger pointed straight at his nose. “I heard that, you are now the first person fired from Donna Enterprises.” 

“Donna Corp.” Martha said. “Donna and Two People Way More Qualified, LLC.”

“Donna Pays for Two Overqualified People To Play in the Muck with Aliens All Day,” Donna countered. “That one’s a nonprofit.”

“Noble Causes,” Mickey said. The ladies turned and gave him twin looks of skepticism. “What? What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s a bit on the nose, don’t you think?” Donna said. “Here we come to save the day, all that?”

“Not nearly as professional as UNIT, or Torchwood,” Martha said. “Are we the indie record shop of alien dealings on Earth?” 

“No, we’re three mates trying to save the world and all the people in it, even if it’s the kind of saving that won’t get us on national telly,” Mickey said. “Sure, we got that official sanction from the Shadow Proclamation, but what does that mean to anyone human? We aren’t Torchwood, we’re never even going to blip on the radar for UNIT, so let’s just rent an office and put an ad in the papers and embrace it. Noble Causes. We’ll save your kitten from the feline-eating alien tree, or what have you.”

“That is the most I have ever heard you say all at once,” said Donna. “Bravo. Noble Causes it is.”

-

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to L. for the beta. Screencaps from [disparue.org](http://disparue.org/caps/television/doctorwho/). The images aren't meant to directly illustrate any scenes from the story, just kind of be companions if you will. *g*


End file.
